Soldering under the microscope is commonly performed using a stereo microscope because the stereo microscope provides greater working distance and room beneath the microscope to perform the soldering. The images above were captured after the soldering was completed rather than during the process and therefore a measuring microscope was used in order to view more detail.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Bacteria - These small, single-celled organisms are found in large numbers in polluted water. Phase contrast is used to identify most bacteria in wastewater.

Protozoa - These single-celled organisms are typically much larger than bacteria and are typically found in large numbers in wastewater, many being quite mobile. Protozoa have received increased attention because of their connection with waterborne diseases such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium.

Metazoa - Multi-celled organisms that are larger and more complex than Protozoa. Rotifers are included in this group and are fairly common in wastewater treatment processes, as they play an active role in the breakdown of organic wastes. Observing and quantifying rotifers contributes to the evaluation of treatment conditions.

Viruses - These are much smaller than bacteria and can not be seen with a conventional microscope. Viruses are parasites and therefore can only reproduce within a host cell (such as bacteria). Although viruses do not play a known role in wastewater treatment, they are important to water quality professionals. Many diseases caused by viruses can be transmitted through polluted waters.

Photo Courtesy Environmental Leverage

There are two types of wastewater treatment microscopes. A simple wastewater brightfield particulate microscope is used to identify particulate matter. These microscopes might be used in the food industry to determine if the manufacturing process is placing too much particle matter into the sewer system.

The more common wastewater treatment microscopes use phase contrast to identify bacteria, protozoa and rotifers. The microscope systems created specifically for wastewater treatment include all specific items required to identify (and capture images if needed) the most common microlife found in wastewater.

If you have specific questions regarding the wastewater treatment process or selection of a wastewater treatment microscope, please contact us.

The above image was captured at 200x magnification and using the DCC5.1P camera with advanced software, in the middle of the image you will notice a small vertical red line that measured the thickness of the gold layer at 2mils.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Every stereo microscope derives its total magnification from a combination of the eyepieces and the built-in objective lens.

Eyepieces are typically 10x magnification, although they are occasionally 15x or 20x.

The built-in objective lens can be single (1x for example), dual (2x and 4x for example), or zoom (1x-4x with every magnification in between).

If you combine the above two items, you will find the total magnification of the stereo microscope. The eyepieces will generally have an inscription on them such as WF10X/20. This means the eyepieces are 10x magnification with a 20mm field of view. The objective lens value is typically printed on the edge of the objective, or on the zoom knob on the side of the microscope. If it says 1x-4x, then your total magnification with 10x eyepieces would be 10x-40x.

There are a few other options for manipulating total magnification on a stereo microscope. An optional auxiliary lens can be screwed onto the bottom of the objective lens on most stereo zoom microscopes in order to increase or decrease total magnification and working distance. Typical auxiliary lens magnifications include 0.5x, 1.5x, or 2x. With the above mentioned microscope setup of 10x eyepieces and a 1x-4x built-in objective lens, if you added a 1.5x auxiliary lens the total magnification would become 15x-60x.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Paramecia are widespread in freshwater and marine environments, and can often be found in stagnant water and ponds. These species are easy to cultivate and divide and therefore the Paramecium has been used extensively in classrooms and labs to study biological processes.

Paramecium range in size from 50-330 micrometers in length. Cells are usually elongated and the body of the cell is enclosed by a stiff but elastic membrane, uniformly covered in cilia which allow the organism to move in one direction. In all species there is a deep groove running from the anterior of the cell to its midpoint. This is lined with inconspicuous cilia which beat continuously, drawing food inside the cell.

The question of whether Paramecia exhibit learning has long been a specific point of experimentation, yielding positive results. In an experiment published in 2006, the authors concluded that by using voltage as a reinforcement, Paramecium may indeed learn to discriminate between different brightness levels.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Microscope World is excited to introduce the microscope camera tablet. This Android tablet has a touch screen with live viewing and capture options. The table camera has a c-mount thread connection that will connect to any microscope c-mount adapter.

The microscope camera tablet is available in two different sizes, each having a few variations as shown in the table below. The 7" tablet is a basic microscope camera tablet, while the 9.7" tablet has advanced features including advanced software that can be calibrated and allows for measuring.

If you have specific questions regarding the microscope camera tablet don't hesitate to email us.

The Youth Conservation Alliance is a charity designed to teach environmental education, highlighting fishing as a family activity; something everyone can enjoy regardless of age. The Alliance teaches kids not only about fishing, but also about lake ecosystems and what it takes to support a healthy fishing environment.

"Microscopes are a key part of this learning initiative as we show the kids how the life of a fish begins and what types of things we need to do to keep a lake environment and the fish in them healthy. We use state-of-the-art microscopes from Microscope World to assist us as we navigate through the many different types of scopes and applications. Thank you very much to everyone at Microscope World for your guidance and continued support."

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

An antibody (immunoglobulin), is a large Y-shaped protein produced by B-cells that is used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique part of the foreign target, called an antigen. Each tip of the "Y" shape of an antibody contains a paratope (a structure similar to a lock) that is specific for one particular epitope (similarly analogous to a key) on an antigen, allowing these two structures to bind together with precision. Using this binding mechanism, an antibody can tag a microbe or an infected cell for attack by other parts of the immune system, or can neutralize its target directly.

The production of antibodies is the main function of the humoral immune system. Antibodies are secreted by a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell.